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February, 2011

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Crazy-Cool Cousin’s ‘Eat it Everyday’ Salad Recipe

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

This salad recipe got me thinking, are favorite dishes or recipes those that you could eat over and over everyday (regardless of calories)? If so, this salad will be on my favorites list for this year and it is only February.  This salad has really grown on me, so much so, that I desire it at every meal where our cousin’s are present.  In this family we eat salad at the end of the meal,  so by the time you are done eating everything, with this salad, you are actually craving it.  Cousin C says this is a variation on a salad his mother made growing up and then he also saw a variation of it at Esalen in Big Sur when he worked there.  Now we can all try and make it.  I think Bragg Liquid Aminos (made from health-giving, NON-GMO soybeans and purified water) is one of the secret ingredients here.  Another fun part of this salad is that you can really add or take away ingredients based on what you have in the fridge as long as you have the onion, lettuce, and the dressing ingredients.

Cousin’s Salad Recipe

Serves 4 as a side salad

Salad:

  • 2 cups of Romaine Lettuce
  • 1 cup of Arugula
  • Dried Cranberries
  • Sweet and Spicy Pecans (from Trader Joe’s or an alternative)
  • Grated Parmesan (Raw Parmesan from Trader Joe’s or an alternative)
  • Avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
  • Red Bell Pepper, sliced
  • Red onion, sliced
  • Cilantro, coarsely chopped

Dressing:

  • 6-8 TBSP of Olive Oil – per cup of lettuce (2 TBSP per cup of lettuce)
  • 3 TBSP of Bragg Liquid Aminos (1 TBSP per cup of lettuce)
  • 3 tsp of Balsamic Vinegar (1 tsp per cup of lettuce)
  • Garlic powder, sprinkled over top of salad
  • Squeeze Lemon juice of 1/2 lemon over-top of salad

Preparation:

Prepare all salad ingredients and place in a large salad bowl.  Toss together.  Then sprinkle dressing ingredients over-top of salad and mix well again. Serve!

Posted in CSA Food Box Recipes, Home Cookin', Salad | 3 Comments »
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Baked Quinoa Recipe – Gluten-free & still good!

Friday, February 25th, 2011

We are still onto the vegetable dishes in a gesture to be more healthy and I have found some great new ways to use winter vegetables.  This Baked Quinoa dish is a mac and cheese (cheese makes it not vegan unless you use vegan cheese) alternative that was prepared and sampled by a teacher friend’s middle school in Maine during a Healthy Recipe Contest.   The concept of introducing students to new vegetables and food items that they may have never sampled and learning about healthy eating at school is so awesome, we love it.

Ok, so the Baked Quinoa competed against a Vegetable Soup and a Chili Recipe all prepared by a guest chef at the school.  The Baked Quinoa won!  The recipe includes mushrooms, greens, and fresh corn in it but you could really add any veggies you like.  The other great aspect to the Baked Quinoa is that it is gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan friendly.  We ate it for lunches and as a side dish at almost every meal this week.

When I first read the calorie count on quinoa, I was overwhelmed because the package said:

  • 1 cup of uncooked quinoa has a total of 637 calories

Then I was relieved to realize that:

  • 1 cup of COOKED quinoa has only about 254 calories and 9 grams of protein

This recipe was posted by KelliesBelly.com – Thanks guys for sharing!

Baked Quinoa Recipe

  • 1/4 c. finely chopped onion
  • 1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 c. fresh chopped kale or spinach
  • 1 c. fresh corn
  • 1 c. fresh chopped mushrooms
  • 2 c. dry quinoa
  • 1-2 c. of cheese (swiss, monterey jack, feta or your favorite – we used pepper jack)

1.  Cook quinoa according to the directions (2 parts water, 1 part grain) and set aside.

2.  In a medium pan, sauté the onions in the olive oil over medium high heat until almost tender. Add the garlic for 1 minute and then add the kale or spinach until softened.  You may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to wilt the greens.  Add the corn and mushrooms and cook for an additional minute and remove pan from the heat.

3.   Combine the quinoa, vegetables, ½ of the cheese with salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well.  Put the mixture in a pam sprayed casserole dish, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Alternative: If you wanted to add meat, you could add cooked sausage, diced. Or if you are vegan you could add a meat alternative to the dish as well.

Posted in CSA Food Box Recipes, Greens, Home Cookin', Main Dishes, Vegetable Side Dish | 3 Comments »
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Smashed Cashew-Carrot & Potato Swirl

Monday, February 21st, 2011

Right now I’m doing lots of winter vegetables and you can look forward to a very good Baked Quinoa Recipe (yea, gluten-free folks) as well as a Beets with Blood Orange, Kalamata Olives, and Balsamic to be featured here in the next few posts.  Anyways, I got the idea for this recipe from a Sweet Potato and Mashed Potato Swirl Thanksgiving recipe that stuck in my head from a few years back.  So when I had carrots in the fridge, potatoes in a bag on the counter, and cashews in the food processor on Friday night, the color of the two got me thinking.  Oh, and a baby next door, which may have had the brain on baby food (carrots served smashed, do we automatically go to baby food?)!  This veggie side has a bit of a sweet taste and you can even garnish the top with some brown sugar.  Serving this with ham on a holiday could really work or even Turkey.

I asked John if he thought the photo made this dish look unappealing?  It took him about 30 seconds to answer, so yes, the photo isn’t a great one for selling the dish.  If you used a pastry bag (outlined below) and swirled the potatoes and carrots that way, it would however, look great!

TIP #1: Grow Rosemary in your yard or in a pot and then you will always have it as a go to fresh spice.

TIP #2: Have Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Seasonings in your pantry and you can always dice up red  skin potatoes and roast them in the oven with just butter and Krazy Jane’s.  It’s a classic Ohio, quick dish (check Safeway for the seasoning).

Smashed Cashew Carrot & Potato Swirl Recipe

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Posted in Home Cookin', Vegetable Side Dish | 2 Comments »
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THE Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Saturday, February 19th, 2011

It is amazing to me how simple a vegetable recipe can be and still be so good.  Simplicity actually seems to be the key behind most great vegetable side dishes.  You just have to know which simple ingredient additions can accent your veggies and the right way to cook them.  In this case, boiled Brussels Sprouts is not the answer, we want golden, crispy crusted Sprouts.

This is Zach’s recipe and many of us have wondered how he makes it.  He is such a little bit of this and a little bit of that kind of Granny Cook, always adding a new variation.  Finally, I know the answer and it is actually easy to make them!  This is variation number one, I think one other variation has bacon in it, duh.

Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

  • 1 lbs. Brussels Sprouts, halved
  • 2 TBSP olive oil or butter
  • 1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Salt and ground black pepper

In a large skillet, heat olive oil or butter (or a combo) over medium heat.  Then add the halved Brussels Sprouts to the pan face down. Add salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until you are seeing some brown, crusty sides.  Then add the chicken stock and let the Brussels Sprouts cook for 5-10 more minutes until the liquid has been absorbed into the sprouts. Then add the diced onion and garlic and cook a bit longer until the onions and garlic are browned and the sprouts are even more crusty and caramelized.  Serve the Brussels Sprouts right away.

  1. Alternative #1: Use Diced Bacon or Pancetta to cook the Sprouts (and shallots).
  2. Alternative #2: Grate Cheese over Brussels Sprouts right before serving such as Parmesan, gruyere, or Gouda.
  3. Alternative #3: Toss Brussels Sprouts in  Balsamic Vinegar before pan-roasting. Then add a bit more Balsamic Vinegar  before serving.
  4. Alternative #4: This looks interesting too, but I haven’t tried it yet: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sriracha & Mint

Posted in Home Cookin', Vegetable Side Dish | 2 Comments »
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A Sweet & Sour Cocktail for your Honey: Angostura Sour

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

This is a cocktail for your man.  We found the recipe on the NY Times and it’s delicious. Enjoy!

Angostura Sour Cocktail

1 egg white

3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

1 1/2 ounces Angostura bitters

1 ounce simple syrup.

Pour the egg white and lime juice into a cocktail shaker and shake for 30 seconds. Add the bitters and syrup, fill with ice and shake hard for another 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Yield: 1 drink.

Note: To make simple syrup, combine

1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Let cool, then transfer to a very clean jar or bottle. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Posted in Drinks | 1 Response »
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Lemon Cashew Chicken Salad Recipe

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Sunset Magazine recipes are the go to place to find a recipe when friends are coming over and you don’t have time to try the recipe the week before. I really trust Sunset Magazine’s recipes because they always test them to ensure their quality and they always have flavor and spice.

For the holidays this year, a friend got me the Sunset Cookbook.  There are so many recipes in it worth trying that it will take me years to get through all of them.  This recipe has great flavor and can be eaten for dinner on salad and for lunch the next day in a sandwich.  Don’t skimp on the Jalapeno, you need at least 2-3 TBSP to feel a bit of heat.  Also, this chicken salad is half the harm utilizing Greek Yogurt for half of the Mayo.  Um, the flavor is partially acquired from the white and dark meat of a rotisserie chicken!

Lemon Cashew Chicken Salad Recipe

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Posted in Home Cookin', Salad | No Comments »
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Super Bowl Snack – Benny’s Blue Cheese Ball with Grapes and Pecans Recipe

Saturday, February 5th, 2011

This is a Mrs. Benny cheese-ball recipe.  It makes complete sense to have this on Super Bowl Sunday too because the Benny’s are the biggest Football Fans I know!

Benny’s Blue Cheese Ball with Grapes and Pecans Recipe

  • 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
  • 1-3 ounce package quality cream cheese
  • 1/4 pound seedless red grapes
  • 1 cup finely chopped, toasted pecans

Combine all of these ingredients in a bowl.  Then form it into a cheese ball!  Serve with Crackers (see picture above). You’re done – just cover and chill for at least an hour!  You could also roll it in pecans when it’s done for a nice presentation.

Posted in Appetizers, Home Cookin' | No Comments »
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What does your Favorite Cup or Mug say about you?

Friday, February 4th, 2011
  • Big Cups = for those who like to eat a lot (aka manly)! Oh, and frugal, more-for-your-money types.
  • Small Cups = for those who monitor their portion sizes, the less is more, anal, lady-like types!
  • Beautiful Cups = for those who are artistically inclined, and latch onto every cool new food trend!
  • Old Cups = for the crunchy, tradition-loving, recycling types, who may be afraid of change!
  • Disposable Cups= for those always ready for change who have commitment issues and no concerns for their present environment?

The tea post got me thinking about drinking vessels.  Do you have a favorite mug or glass?  At our house, we each have an unspoken attachment to one particular coffee mug, glass, or cup.  Also, we don’t use the other person’s favorite vessel.  I guess this is because we aren’t interested in the other person’s goblet, it’s just not OUR favorite.

One of them was chosen by the person for the quantity it can hold, one was chosen for the shape of the glass in one’s hand, and the other one was chosen for its hand-made aesthetic qualities.   I think we could psycho-analyze each of these in conjunction with our food consumption habits (as we also look at the degree to which we are each attached to our own)!

What do you think Aubri and Adrienne?  We need a therapists take on this!

Posted in Store Bought | 5 Comments »
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